6th gen hydrogen powered 4runner coming soon. :girl:
Hard to say. The weight and mpg savings would drive it that direction, but why make the 4runner basically another version of the Highlander? That market is already covered. The only thing a uni-body 4runner would bring to the SUV table is a low-range tcase, and who's gonna rock crawl in a unibody SUV (at least for long!)?
Toyota's biggest problem with the 4runner is its popularity. People keep buying the darn things, and that screws up their fleet mpg numbers. If I were them, I'd keep the basic design and raise the price by about 10 grand.
I want the 4.7 liter V8 diesel that's in the Australian version of the 79 series Land Cruiser. Have you seen/heard that on any of the Ronny Dahl videos. What a sweet sound, and 400+ ft-lbs of torque at 1500 rpm.
But, it'll never happen here. Sigh....:-(
You know, an electric 4runner would be awesome offroad - DC motors have incredible low-end performance. But, I'm not so sure I want to hit the Maze district in Canyonlands for a week just relying on a single battery charge. Best have some pretty good solar panels on the roof![]()
You nailed the reason that I think the 4Runner will never be a uni-body. If I wanted a uni-body vehicle there are literally so many other options that make more financial sense than the 4Runner. I think Toyota knows this and is why thus far they have stayed away from changing to such a platform. It just wouldn't make sense for them to do that. That's like taking a small boat that does great in its own small little pond and then tossing it into a huge already oversaturated/overcrowded ocean. It's going to sink in all the other uni-body options that are available.
Just got this email about the 2021 4Runner Trail Special Edition. The only thing that changed in 12 years is the name got longer...Maybe a new radio & colors too?
2021 Toyota Trail Special Editions
Until they come out with something better than the 2UZ in a 4Runner I'm not remotely interested in 'upgrading'.